Marco Ferrari’s Valtellina Superiore “Inferno” is the kind of wine that makes you rethink Nebbiolo altogether—and why $69 for this bottle is one of the smartest buys you’ll see all year. Forget the idea that only Piedmont holds the keys to greatness: in the vertiginous terraces of Lombardy’s Valtellina, Nebbiolo (locally called Chiavennasca) is farmed under conditions so extreme they rival the steepest vineyards of the Northern Rhône or Mosel. Ferrari’s old‑vine Inferno bottling delivers the same haunting perfume, length, and balance you expect from blue‑chip Barolo, but with a mountain‑born clarity and mineral edge that is uniquely Valtellina. This is why collectors and sommeliers are turning their attention north—and why you should seize this allocation before it disappears.
Valtellina is one of the most rigorous winegrowing regions in the world. The Inferno cru is a tiny amphitheater of sheer, terraced schist and granite, where vines cling to dizzying slopes between 750 and 2,500 feet. Every task—from pruning to harvest to maintaining the dry‑stone walls—is done by hand, often in punishing heat. The name Inferno is no exaggeration, but the reward is Nebbiolo of astonishing purity and mineral detail. These wines combine alpine freshness with depth and power, offering a profile that is both familiar to lovers of Piedmont and thrillingly distinct.
Insiders and the press already recognizes the prestige of Valtellina Superiore “Inferno,” especially the iconic renditions from ArPePe and Nino Negri. Yet Marco Ferrari’s bottling proves that the next generation is soaring to the same heights of quality—while remaining remarkably accessible with a proper decant. For the SommSelect Tasting Panel, this stands out as one of the most alluring Nebbiolo discoveries of 2025, a wine that combines mountain‑born power with elegance and balance.
Ferrari’s journey explains the wine’s precision. After early work in Franciacorta, he spent three years in the Northern Rhône, apprenticing with Domaine Coursodon in Saint‑Joseph and Franck Balthazar in Cornas, while studying the practices of Thierry Allemand, the Clape family, and the Gonons. He absorbed the discipline of whole‑cluster fermentations, long macerations, and aging in neutral wood, then returned to Valtellina to hone his craft at ArPePe, the region’s most revered domaine. By 2019 he launched his own estate, applying Rhône rigor to Italian tradition, and quickly established himself as one of the region’s most exciting new voices.
The 2022 Inferno is Ferrari’s broad‑shouldered masterpiece: wild cherry, rose petal, smoky stone, and spice, wrapped in tannins that are firm yet polished, with a finish that sails on with alpine clarity. At a recent importer’s fall showcase, surrounded by blue‑chip Barolo, this wine was the one trade guess kept coming back to—its balance of elegance and muscle, its soaring aromatics, and its seamless length proved more alluring than many of Piedmont’s benchmarks. For Nebbiolo lovers, this is the case study in why Cru Valtellina must be part of the routine. Marco Ferrari’s Inferno is not just a discovery; it’s a new benchmark.
Molte Grazie!
